Stand Up for Journalism
STAND UP FOR JOURNALISM
Report on Bristol Day of Action, 5 November 2007; by Simon Chapman
Thanks to all those who took part in the Bristol Stand Up for
Journalism rally on 5 November 2007 at BBC Bristol in Whiteladies
Road. Staff from the BBC and Bristol Branch members began the day
with leafletting at the BBC Bristol offices in Whiteladies Road in
Bristol, where many jobs are scheduled to go as part of the cuts
announced recently.
At lunchtime NUJ and BECTU BBC members were joined by staff from the
Bristol Evening Post and Western Daily Press newspapers, and
freelance colleagues. The traditional Bonfire Night ‘guy’ was an
effigy of Mark Thompson, the BBC Director General.
The Evening Post sent a photographer and there was some coverage the
next day. There are also some photos as part of a national round up
of NUJ events at: http://www.flickr.com/groups/standupforjournalism/pool/
STAND UP FOR JOURNALISM
Report on the NUJ rally in Manchester, 5 November 2007; by Francis Harvey.
A burst of Mancunian drizzle coincided almost exactly with the duration of the NUJ’s Stand Up for Journalism gathering and march in Manchester city centre.
But, to trot out the old village-fete-report cliche, rain failed to dampen the spirits of demonstrators at this good-natured but impassioned campaign. However, invoking that chestnut is not an example of the “quality journalism” that the event was concerned with protecting.
It may have rained on their parade, but around 70 hearty protestors (the figure 200, stated elsewhere, is an exaggeration) wielded banners and placards and handed out leaflets as they joined a short march under a grey sky.
Setting off from outside the “Manchester Evening News” building in Hardman St, off Deansgate, they walked a few blocks to the Radisson Edwardian Hotel in nearby Southmill St, which was hosting the Society of Editors conference.
Protests were going on around the country and across Europe, but the Manchester march was the main UK event. Banners largely represented northern and Midlands centres - Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds, Coventry, Birmingham etc - but attendees from further afield included members from Belfast, Bristol and Brighton. London PR officers and freelances each fielded their own delegates, as did Preston University journalism department, Manchester’s Pink Press and Wrinklies Portsmouth.
The brevity of the march, and the relative paucity of passers-by in the area, meant the immediate impact of the protest was rather muted. However, by the nature of a journalists’ event, plenty of interviewing, photographing and podcasting each other was going on - creating plenty of material to amplify the message later.
Gathered outside the hotel as editors milled around the lobby, marchers coined various impromptu slogans and chants. Despite being versed in devising punning headlines, they started with a rather tentative “Hacked off” and “What do we want? Quality journalism! When do we want it? Now!”, before voicing more confident chants of “Stand up, stand up, stand up for journalism”.
Photographer Paul Herrmann was swiftly asked to leave the hotel foyer by a burly bouncer, but managed to take shots through the glass facade.
Addressing the throng via a megaphone, NUJ general secretary Jeremy Dear said the day was seeing the “biggest ever Europe-wide protest in favour of quality journalism”. He declared the union was “not prepared to stand by and let those who would line their own pockets” do so “at the expense of quality journalism”.
Many of the attendees then repaired to the Friends’ Meeting House in nearby Mount St for a rally and buffet. Topically enough, the Biblical quotation on a sign in the front garden, citing the Book of Proverbs, read: “Give us neither poverty nor wealth”.
A panel of speakers was compered by NUJ president and “Sunday Express” contributor Michelle Stanistreet, who said: “I think the demo went really well. I think we made quite a splash at the hotel.”
She introduced Manchester nurse Karen Reissman, who had been in trouble with her employers for speaking to the media about problems in the health service.
Following five months’ suspension for four charges of gross misconduct - which included behaviour as trivial as mentioning to colleagues that she might lose her job - Reissman had been informed that day that she had indeed been sacked.
An eloquent speaker, Reissman told the meeting: “It is often difficult to get press about mental health that isn’t about mad axemen or stereotypes.” She said reporting needed “context, rather than just regurgitating press releases”, and thanked journalists, such as the “Manchester Evening News” health correspondent, who reported mental-health issues properly.
She expressed a wish that reporters be given more time to investigate stories, and said journalists and health workers should not be “frightened of speaking out”.
The audience literally stood up for journalism, giving her a standing ovation.
“Manchester Evening News” NUJ mother of chapel Judy Gordon warned of the need to find a balance between traditional newspapers and electronic media. She said editors were “rushing headlong to destroy” old media “by saying newspapers are dying”, and called “Guardian” editor Alan Rusbridger “one of the worst” in championing websites above print.
She said: “There is room for all these forms of media. We are not afraid of them - we should embrace them. I told my editor 10-12 years ago we should have a presence on the web.”
Michelle Stanistreet added: “It is to the shame of the Society of Editors that they had MI5 [head Jonathan Evans] speaking to them, rather than Karen Reissman.”
She had told the society’s executive director Bob Satchwell that papers should not “treat information and news as nothing more than a commodity”. She said “quality, standards, ethics and integrity” should be defended but were “put at threat by profiteering by media companies”.
NUJ North of England regional organiser Chris Morley told the rally: “Today’s been an amazing day of international protests.” He added: “There’s a bit of hot news that I want to give you”, announcing that the “Press” newspaper in York had just reached an settlement about reporters’ involvement in video journalism.
The paper’s chapel had secured agreements on workloads and health and safety, he said. “I don’t think it was any coincidence that it was today.”
The meeting dispersed after about an hour, with newly-empowered journalists and supporters going back to their constituencies and preparing to resist excessive cutbacks.
Long-term awareness and credibility of the protest among the wider public remains to be seen – especially given the enduring misconception of journalists as being on an ethical par with estate agents.
But, within the industry, Stand Up for Journalism seemed to generate a sense of solidarity and encouragement which can hopefully be sustained and translated into practical action in the workplace.